An Unusual Evening
by reluctant-reporter
Summary: What if Jason and Casey never became cops? Here's how their first meeting might go. A/U.
1. Chapter 1

What if Casey and Jason never became cops and instead Jason remained a baseball player and Casey went into business with her father like Walter had originally wanted? Here's my take on how they would meet and how it might play out.

I don't own or profit from the Unusuals. Not sure where I'm going with this story but I plan on having some fun with it. Thanks for reading-

Charity events were a necessary evil in Casey Shraeger's life. As the daughter and only child of Walter Shraeger, one of the wealthiest men in New York, and his right hand when it came to the many businesses their money was invested in and the amount of real estate they owned, attending social events were tortuous affairs that she had grown used to over the years.

Lately, these kinds of events hadn't been so bad since Casey's boyfriend, Davis, would usually be her escort for the evening. He fit in perfectly with this kind of crowd but was grounded enough that he could go out with her for a burger or enjoy a night in watching T.V. when the mood struck. Unfortunately, the young lawyer was not a big fan of her sometimes crazy work schedule and didn't understand her love/ hate relationship with not only her father but with the upper class society of New York. He didn't quite get her condescending jokes and took things she said very personally while spewing out insensitive comments himself, like calling her "the man" in their relationship.

After that discussion she had gotten angry and told him that someone around here had to be the man because it didn't appear as though he were up to the task. The break-up a few days later did not come as a surprise and while a part of her was relieved because dealing with Davis could be exhausting at times, another part of her missed having a partner on nights like these.

Sighing, she checked her coat and entered the lavish ballroom that was filled with tables on one side and had a cleared dance floor on the other. The Owens's, friends of her parents, were throwing this charity/ dinner party and since Ma and Pa Shraeger had a previous engagement it was up to Casey to represent the Shraeger family.

Her mother had insisted that she and her daughter get ready for the evening together and had gushed about how much Casey looked like Audrey Hepburn before fluttering out of their Park Avenue home for the night. Casey did not agree. Audrey's willowy frame was always dressed to emphasis that fact while Casey's black dress had capped sleeves and floated away from her body below the waist to camouflage what Casey sometimes thought was a little too much curve. Her hair was in a twisted up-do but she lacked the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" tiara. Mrs. Shraeger had obviously ingested one too many "happy pills" while dressing.

"Thank God, someone normal," Casey heard a female voice say behind her as she circled the tables that were set up, looking for her name on a place setting.

Recognizing the dry tone, she turned around and grinned at her best-friend, Assistant Attorney Nicole Brandt. Nicole smiled back and tugged on her husband's arm so that the three of them made a tight circle around each other.

"Can't say I've ever been accused of being normal and I don't think you would qualify either, but thanks," Casey said. "Hey, Eddie."

Detective Eddie Alvarez's mustache twitched and then seemed to spread out as he smiled at her, "Evening, Miss Shraeger."

Both Casey and Nicole rolled their eyes at him. Eddie was a strange but decent man and while Casey sometimes wondered how Nicole ended up married to the schmuck, he treated her well and really seemed to love her. Because of that, Casey could ignore a few quirks.

"Eddie, call me Casey or I'll tackle you and shave off the mustache," Casey said, knowing that this would be one of the few times during the evening she would be able to let herself go and say what she wanted.

"Never," Nicole said, putting her arms around her husband in a fake, dramatic manner, "the mustache makes the man."

Eddie just shook his head and looked up at the ceiling as though he were a parent praying for patience over two naughty children.

"You're right, Nic. Eddie without a mustache would be like Santa without a beard or my father without a stick up his butt."

Again, Eddie's moustache twitched as Nicole laughed and looked around.

"Quite a crowd ol' Mimsy Owens assembled tonight," she said. "What exactly are we paying two hundred bucks a plate for again?"

"Children's wing at the hospital," Casey said. "Although I always wonder why we just can't write a check and forgo these dreaded functions."

Nicole nodded in agreement and then raised an eyebrow, "The rich like to be seen in fancy dress while donating money, hon. Besides, they actually have quite a mix to the crowd so it may not be as pretentious as usual."

Casey raised her eyebrows as she watched a Paris Hilton look alike sashay by.

"That's why I feel like TMZ may come crashing through at any time, now," Casey said.

Nicole grinned and glanced at a simple yet elegant watch on her wrist that went amazingly well with the form fitting red dress she had on. While Casey loved Nicole, it irked her that the woman could get away with wearing a dress like that and make it look sexy yet sophisticated. If Casey tried to wear something similar she would look like a big-butt hooker.

"We should probably find our seats. It looks like they will start the introduction speech any minute," Nicole said as people around them started hunting for their places and sitting once they found them.

"Good idea, we should be sitting so that once we lapse into a coma from boredom the fall to the ground won't injure anyone," Casey said, glancing at the empty chairs left.

"Look on the bright side, you could always get a head injury and that would excuse you for the rest of the evening," Nicole said, tugging her husband away as she gave Casey a little wave goodbye.

Casey knew it would be too much to hope for her to be seated with Nicole and Eddie. While everyone in their circle liked and respected the two girls, no one could forget the hellions the two had been in high school. Nicole was the crazy party-girl while Casey was the girl that could never say no to a fight. Together, they had seen the inside of quite a few police stations and squad cars. While they had both grown up and out of their previous roles, no one else seemed able to totally let go of the past. Mimsy Owens probably feared that putting her and Nicole at a table together would cause the party to end in a drunken brawl or something.

Finally, finding her name scrawled in gold on a place card at a table near the outside front, Casey gently sat and looked around at her dining companions. She recognized Mr. and Mrs. Font who owned a string of sandwich shops in New York and California and gave them a big smile in greeting, an up and coming singer she had read about in the paper, a couple of bankers she and her father had worked with, the Paris Hilton look-alike/socialite and a familiar looking handsome man that Casey could not quite place.

Making herself comfortable, Casey said hello to Mr. Evans and Mr. James who promptly started asking after her father and ignored the glare from the socialite who seemed annoyed that she was no longer the center of the table's attention. Turning, she held out her hand to introduce herself to the unknown man seated next to her.

"Hello, I'm Casey Shraeger," she said.

The man gave her a slow yet large smile and looked her straight in the eyes while wrapping a warm hand around hers for a gentle and strong handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, Casey Shraeger. I'm Jason Walsh."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to CaRiNeSs, Didi, r3456 and typegirl19 for the favorable reviews and interest. Also, thanks typegirl19 for messaging me asking for the next chapter which got me over some serious writer's block on another story as well as this one. Thanks so much for reading and please review and tell me what you think or if you have any suggestions for the story since I still am not sure where I'm going to end up with this.-

He was going to kill his manager.

Jason Walsh sighed deeply and tried to keep his hands away from the collar of his dress shirt which was buttoned all the way up and slowly choking the life out of him. He had only just walked off an airplane from Los Angeles and was quickly making his way through the airport after hunting down and collecting his luggage when his cell phone rang and his manager, Artie Sands, gushed about how he'd gotten Jason an invite to a super exclusive charity dinner that night. Jason had tried to get out of it, stating that he was exhausted and had just finished not only doing a photo shoot for one of his many sponsors but had also been a guest host for one of those annoying entertainment shows that followed celebrities around and kissed their asses, acting like their bland comments were real and exciting news.

Jason was trying to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry since his recent retirement from baseball and had to stay in the public eye. He was already a celebrity to sports fans and New Yorkers and was quickly making himself a household name. You had to take jobs you normally wouldn't just to get your face out there and Jason did not want to fade away from the limelight quite yet, not until he had the chance to host his own sports show, which was being shopped around and looked like it might be picked up nationally. For the time being he was busy with speaking engagements and doing publicity for his many sponsors.

"Walsh, these are the kind of people who own the networks that we are trying to get on. Making a good impression with the New York elite can go a long way," Artie said, sighing and speaking to him as though he were a child.

Jason didn't mind the tone since he was always whining to Artie. His manager was in his corner and was working hard towards getting Jason what he wanted, a place back into the sports world. A shoulder injury had ended a great career with the Yankees and Jason was grateful that he got to live his dream. He played longer then most but now had a new dream and Artie was his right hand man who'd help him get there.

"I know, I know. I just hate going to these things and listening to irrelevant rich people comment on how great an athlete I 'was' and then blubber about their own successes in whatever sport they played in high school or college," Jason said.

"It's annoying, I know. But if anyone can bullshit their way into someone's good graces, it's you," Artie said. "So act like you want to be there and charm the hell out of those rich old codgers."

So, here he was, dressed up in a suit, tie and dress shoes that were delivered by one of Artie's assistants that didn't quite fit right but would look great in front of a camera. He was pretty sure the tie and collar of the shirt were in cahoots and were trying to slowly choke him to death, perhaps sensing how much he hated wearing them. Pasting a fake but genuine looking smile onto his face, he'd made the rounds when he arrived, greeting and introducing himself to as many people as possible then sat down as soon as the majority of the crowd started taking their own seats. Sizing everyone up at his table, he almost groaned out load when he noticed the celebutante sitting next to him. He'd been to several of the same functions as Kimi (really, that was her name) and she could never quite accept that not only was he not interested in her, he would never be interested in her. He liked women with real boobs, real hair and real brains. Thankfully, someone else usually managed to get her attention and she would end up with a much more cooperative admirer by the end of the evening. He prayed that tonight would be the same.

Avoiding eye contact with the dreaded Kimi, he greeted everyone else at the table and settled in for what looked to be a painful evening.

Then she sat down.

The first thing he noticed about the woman was the way she sat down. She moved with purpose yet was still graceful and very feminine. She wore a simple black dress that looked expensive and highlighted skin that was so smooth it reminded him of those commercials where women would bathe in milk. He wondered if that's what she did. Thick dark hair was pulled up into one of those fancy styles that most women seemed able to do with little effort, highlighting the curve of her neck and bringing his eyes to a stubbornly set chin. He had dark, wide doe eyes and a beautiful face. She looked like she was in her early to mid twenties and seemed to know the people at the table, who he'd dubbed as the more business orientated of the group, by her warm greetings to them.

"Hi, I'm Casey Shraeger," she'd said, turning those serious dark eyes on him and holding out her hand.

Smiling, Jason took her hand gripped it carefully yet firmly. She seemed like the kind of person who appreciated a decent hand shake. He was right, about how soft her skin was. It felt even better then it looked.

"It's nice to meet you, Casey Shraeger. I'm Jason Walsh," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about not updating this story in forever. Bad fanfiction writer (smacks self on the wrist). Again, thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting. Shout out to typegirl19 for the kick in the pants that helped get me going-again, you really encouraged me to continue this. I'm not sure where I'm going with this story so if anyone has any suggestions of what they'd like to see happen, let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate it.-

Casey cocked her head to the side slightly as she rolled his name around her brain a few times. _Jason Walsh, Jason Walsh. _The name sounded familiar, as did his face, but the reason why they were familiar eluded her. Realizing she probably looked like an inquisitive puppy, Casey quickly straightened and slowly gave him the charm smile she had learned from her father and generally used in business situations where she felt lost or attacked. It sounded sexist, but when men underestimated you and only saw a young, innocent looking female they tended to pull their punches, at least in business meetings, which made blindsiding them later much more fun. It was one of the few helpful lessons she learned from Walter Shraeger. In social situations the smile usually said, 'I'm a helpless female, please assist me.'

"I'm sorry, you seem familiar but I'm afraid I can't quite place you," Casey said, widening her eyes in a practiced innocent manner as her hand slid out of his grasp.

She was surprised when Jason Walsh snorted and his eyes seemed to sparkle, conveying that he knew she was putting on some kind of act for him. The half grin he also wore was equal parts amused and challenging._ Interesting_.

Shrugging, Casey leaned back a little and studied him again. He was good looking in that tough-guy kind of way, like he could handle himself in a bar fight without any problems. The calm, intelligent blue eyes and knowing smile kept him from appearing too thuggish as did the expensive suit and neat overall appearance. His hair was that light brown color that was probably dark blond when he was a child and cut in a short but stylish way. He looked like he was in his early to mid-thirties and still carried himself like a college athlete would. _Wait, athlete._

"Baseball player," Casey said, snapping her fingers then pointing at him with a real smile. "I saw you on T.V. the other day."

Jason nodded and smiled back, "Used to play for the Yankees but now I do a local sports show."

The smile left her face as she looked at him in confusion, "Sorry, but I don't watch sports."

Catching his look of surprise, Casey quickly spoke to assure him she wasn't usually this rude or tactless, "My dad's a big Yankee's fan and I try to do the opposite of him as often as I can. It's juvenile, I know, but it amuses me."

She was relieved when a chuckle burst out of Jason and his eyes flashed with humor, "I still enjoy getting my step-dad's hackles up on occasion. You probably saw me on another show, I guest host sometimes on celebrity news programs and have done my share of talk shows."

"Isn't celebrity news an oxymoron?" Casey asked, a mischievous grin appearing as she unconsciously leaned closer to him and cut the rest of the table out of their now private conversation.

"You have no idea," Jason said, mirroring her action by sliding a bit closer to her in his chair. "All that fake enthusiasm over those Twilight kids or those dumb ass reality shows can really get on your nerves fast."

Laughing, Casey sat back as John Owens climbed the stage at the front of the room to introduce the speaker for the evening. She tried to switch her attention from her interesting new aquientence to Mr. Owens since she was planning on making a large donation to the hospital. Her father would probably throw a fit but she would just give him her usual speech about how Shraeger Enterprises could never have too much good press when it came to donating to those in need, especially when children were involved. That was one of the reasons why she decided to join her father in his business. The kind of money that they amassed should be used to help others and do something good in the world. One family having that much wealth lying around was unhealthy and unnatural, in Casey's opinion.

Jason's presence beside her was very distracting, though, and she couldn't help but notice that their chairs had somehow drifted closer together which caused them to almost bump arms at their proximity. She briefly thought about scooting over to give herself some space but quickly squashed that idea when Jason's suit covered arm brushed against her bare arm as he reached for his water glass to take a sip. She reflexively turned her head to look at him and gulped when she noticed that playful, knowing gaze of his had changed to a look she could only describe as very intense. The man had some serious bedroom eyes, that was for sure, and he wasn't afraid to let her see a glimpse of the desire he apparently felt for her.

Casey sucked in a breath as their eyes connected. Usually, she was the aggressive one when it came to starting something with a man. The kind of men who would usually approached her first were generally too arrogant or too desperate to hook up with someone young, pretty and rich that it was a total turn off for her. Casey was not ashamed to admit that she liked to be in control of almost everything in her life, mostly because she had no control over anything as a child, and that need for control had crept into her romantic life. Her control issues were what eventually chased Davis away. This guy, Jason Walsh, was not overbearing or arrogant and was not intimidated by her. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him or his obvious interest in her, though. He did, however, make her feel very out of control and she was surprised to find that she kind of liked it.

The noise of people clapping loudly around them jolted Casey out of the moment and she tore her eyes away from Jason's, ducking her head slightly in embarrassment as she followed everyone else's lead and clapped as well. Jason's arm brushed her arm again as he clapped too. She could still feel his gaze on the side of her face and fought to keep herself from blushing, something she hadn't done since high school.

This guy was going to be trouble, she just knew it. It was probably a good thing that she could also be described the same way. Jason Walsh had no idea what he was in for.


End file.
